Carton cutter having a retractable guard



y 7, 1953 A. H. ANDERSON 2,644,230

CARTON CUTTER HAVING A RETRACTABLE GUARD Filed Sept. 15, 1951 V- I F 2' 6 55 52 44 s 5! 54 ll 25 ATTOEAZ'I/ Patented July 7, 1953 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE;

CARTON CUTTER HAVING A RETRACTABLE GUARD Alfred'H. Anderson, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to A and K Safety Carton Cutter, 'Inc., Los Angeles, Calif a corporation of California Application September 1 5, 1951, Serial No. 246,818

This invention relates generally to cutting tools and relates more particularly to carton openers and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cutting tool for cutting open packed articles without damaging the contents.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character adapted for cutting open cardboard or corrugated paper cartons and the like.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character having safety features both when using and when not using.

The blade guards of former devices of which "I am aware are manually movable to and from theprotective position. It has been found that, due to wear, such guards may be accidentally 'moved from the protective position relative to the blade so that there is danger of injury. This is particularly true should the guard accidentally move to a position where the blade is exposed when the device is in a pocket and the user puts his hand in the pocket to remove the device therefrom.

It is, therefore, a further object of the invention to provide a cutting tool for opening cartons and the like which has a guard that will automatically return to the protective position at which position the guard is releasably locked or latched.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character for a guard latch or look that is readily releasable so that thexblade of the device may be readily exposed for cutting.

Another object of the invention is to provide va; device of this character wherein the guard may .belatched in a retracted position whereat the blade isexposed for use.

1 ;-Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the blade may be readily replaced and wherein a razor lustrative purposes only: 'Fig. l is a side view of the device with the guard in the blade protecting position;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same as seen from the front or cutting edge;

Fig. 3? is a view of the device in the open position;

3 Claims. (o1. 30-151) 2 Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view of the device in the open position showing the guard in the retracted position; and

Fig. 61s a perspective view of the device in use.

--Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the device is shown as comprising an elongated oval body l0 and a cover ll which is hinged at 12 to said body, the hinge [2 being at one side.

The body and the cover are shown as bein formed of plastic although the parts may be of any'other suitable material. A resilient clip [3 is provided on the cover and is adapted to engage a boss 14 for releasably securing the cover in the closed position.- It is to be understood,

of course, that any other suitable means may be employed for securing the cover to the body so that said cover may be readily removed when it is desired to replace a blade.

The body is provided'with a recess [6 in which the portion l'l'of a guard, indicated generally at 18, is disposed, said guard being shown as formed of plastic material although it may be of any other suitable material. The body I! has an opening for reception of a' pivot pin l9 which extends from the bottom of the recess 16 and on which the guard l8 pivots. The body of the guard has a portion which normally projects outwardly of the edge of the device opposite the hinge I2 and the projecting portion of said guard is of greater thickness than the body I1, as indicated at 20. The Part. 20 extends along the free edge of the body I"! and has'an arcuately-shaped inner edge or side 2| which is provided with an arcuately-shaped groove 22 which is relatively narrow and is adapted to receive the exposed end portion of.

a blade 24 when the guard is in the protective position.

The guard is urged outwardly to the protec-,

tive position by a spring 25 Which is shown as a piece of spring wire or the like having one end 26 embedded in the guard and having the opposite end reacting against a wall of the recess l6, as indicated at v2'1. The guard is limited in its spring-urged movement by engagement of one side-with a peripheral wall portion 28 of the recess and when in this limited position the guard will fully protect the exposed portion of the blade 24 as best indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

g Adjacent the upperend of the device,as

shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, is ,a latch shown asa lever 30 pivoted at 3| intermediate the ends thereof. The outer end 32 of the latch 30 extends beyond the adjacent peripheral edge of the device and ,the inner end is disposed to engage a shoulder 33 of the guard [8 when th guard is in, the protectiv position. The latch 30 is re-' .ceived inasuitable recess 3 4 in the body 10 and is provided with a groove 35 inthe under side for reception of oneend of a Wir 'spring 36, the opposite end of said spring being received in an extension 31 of the recess 34. The spring is ten,-

sioned so as to urge the latch 30 to the latching, position, as best shown in Fig. 3'. The "latch is direction. A portion 42 of th sheet 40 covers -aportion of the reces Hiand there is an opening 'insaid sheet portion 42 which receives the adjacent end portion of the pivot l9. There is also an end portion id-of thesheet 40 which covers the 'recess in which the latch 39 is disposed. Inasmuch as the portion 20 of the guard'extends beyond the plane of the free surfac of the sheet 46, a reces 45is provided in the cover'to correspond with the recess 4! and provide adequate space for the retraction ofv the guard when the cover is closed. The plate 40 is shown as being of plastic material and is attached to the body portion Ill by any suitable adhesive, the sheet lfi beingconsidered a part of the body as distinguished from the cover. 7

It i to be understood, of course,-that thepart 40.-may be of other material then plastic. 7

Means is provided forgholding the blade in operative position and in the arrangement shown, said means includes .a pair of, diagonally spaced pins 46 adaptedto be received in enlarged portions 4'! of a razor blade 24 having a central longitudinal opening 49 of which the enlarged portions 51 form a part.

It is to be understood that other types of blades may be usedbut the, type shown is well suited to use in the present device, When the blade is in operative position, as shown in the drawings, a corner portion 50 extends beyond the edge 'of the device at which the-guard is positioned. When the guard isin the protective posi- I .tion the corner portion 50 of the bladeis, covered, said portion being received in the slot or groove 22 in the guard. If desired, the pins 46 may extend upwardly of theadjacent surface somewhat a greater distance than the thickness of the blade andrecesses are provided in'the inner side of the .cover to receivethe free end portions of said pinsand permit the blade. to be .clamped between the cover and-body.

When using the device, it is held in the:hand in the manner shown .in Fig. 6. The forefinger depresses the projectedend 32 of the.latch33B and, thereby, releases theguard so that the blade portion 50 may be pressed into thecardboardlof the carton being opened. 'Asthe bladepenetrates the cardboard, or the like,lthe guardis pressed inwardly by the pressure on the adjacent surface of the cardboard. When the cuttingoperation has been completed, the guard will automatically be moved to the protective position and, upon release of the latch, said latch will move to the locking or'latchingposition,best shown in Fig. 3..

When th device is used, as abovepoin-ted Tout, the guard generally will not be'fully retracted and; inasmuch as there are some uses to which the device may be put, it wouldmake it more convenient to have the blade exposed and the "guardlatched in th -retracted position; hence, the device-may be provided with-means forsenotch is engageable by the end portion 56 of the latch. To release the guard from the fully retracted-position, it is only necessary to depress the outer end 32 of said latch and the guard will .be;immediately moved to the protective position by aspring 25.

I claim:

l." In a cutting tool: a body member; a cover member adapted to be secured to the body member; a blade operably mounted between said body member and cover member and having a sharpened portion projecting" outwardly of said members; a movable guard operatively mounted in one of said members, said guard having a portion adapted to extend outwardly of the adjacent edge of the body end cover and being provided with a slot in which the projectingportion of the blade is received when the guard is in the extended position; a yielding means urging said guard to the extended protective position, said guard being movable inwardly of the body and cover to a retracted position whereat the extended blade portion is uncovered; and releasable latch means for latching the guard in the extended position and also for latching the guard in. the retracted position.

:2. In a cutting tool: a body member; a pair of pins extending from the inner face of the body portion and arranged diagonally with respectto the longitudinal axis'of said body, said pins being so spaced as .to receive a perforated blade thereon and hold same in a position whereat a sharpened corner of said blade projects outwardly of the body, said blade being removable from said pins; a cover removably attached to the body; a guard pivoted within one of said members and being provided with a portion adapted to receive the projecting portion of the blade when saidguard is in one position; yielding means urging said guard to :said position, said guard being movable to a retracted position whereat the projecting portion of the blade is exposed; and a releasable latch meansfor securing the guardin the protective position.

3. In a cutting tool: a body member; a cover member; a blade secured to one of said members, said blade having a sharpened portion projecting outwardly of said members; a pivoted guardhaving a recessed portion movable to a :position whereat the projecting portion of the cutting edge of the blade is covered; yielding means urging said guard to said position,said guard'being movable to a position whereat the extended portion of the blade is exposed; and latch means adjacent the guard and adapted to latchsame in the protective position, said latch means having apart extending outwardly ofsaid members so as to be readily engageable with'a finger of the user to release the guard when the device is put to-use.

ALFRED H. ANDERSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain May 13;;15936 

